


The Red String of Denial

by TheMysteriousStoryteller



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Comedy, How Do I Tag, I think?, M/M, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-17 21:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16982220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMysteriousStoryteller/pseuds/TheMysteriousStoryteller
Summary: There was no way that Edd was soulmates with a boy. Especially not with Tord.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeeeey guys! I'm back with another relatively short story. Apologies for the short length, gotta save all of my energy for Christmas, lol. Regardless though, I hope you all enjoy! Comments are always, always appreciated and I hope you all have a lovely day!!

It all started in highschool. 

Well, perhaps that wasn’t exactly true. Really, it only  _ technically  _ started in highschool. Edd was able to see the colored strings way before. Even as a toddler, he could see them. He wasn’t sure  _ how  _ or  _ why  _ he could, but everywhere he looked, he saw strings. Threads of various colors attached to various parts of people that he passed by every day. He never understood them as a child, and he never bothered to ask anyone about it. They’d probably think he was lying, anyway. Regardless, though, the strings stayed around him as he grew up. Red, yellow, purple, black...so many strings that were all so many colors. Of course, he even had a few of his own. Two yellow strings wrapped around his wrist and a single red string attached to his thumb. He couldn’t feel them, which was nice, considering he couldn’t remove them no matter how hard he tried. 

Edd quickly found the person that one of his yellow strings connected to. An overall cheery person, named Matt. They’d been friends since childhood. Hell, Matt was like a brother to him. Yet, even when he found a connection, he still couldn’t figure out what it all meant. Obviously, he and Matt were bound together in some way. But, how? He was sure that the color would tell him. However, even though he was artist, he didn’t know the  _ meanings  _ of all of the colors. Who did, anyway? The only ones he really got were that red and pink meant love and black meant misery and despair. Though, the realization of the typical meaning of red made him think; what the hell was up with this red string that was attached to him? It must mean something different than the yellow, but he just didn’t know  _ what _ . It couldn’t be love, could it?

His question was answered in highschool. Early on, he had become acquainted with two new people. Coincidentally enough, both of these people were connected to him in more ways than one. There was Tom: a shy, anxious kid who sometimes spoke way too much. However, Edd still grew fond of him. The two were connected by the other yellow string. Interestingly enough, Tom had another yellow string attached to his wrist. That string was connected to Edd’s other new friend, Tord. 

When Edd first met Tord, he was surprised for a myriad of reasons. First of all, Tord may have  _ looked  _ threatening, but he was...kind of a loser, honestly. The kid could barely speak English, since he had recently come from Norway. He was also a fucking weeb, as well. But, most notable of all, Tord had a red string on his pinky finger that connected to the string tied around Edd’s thumb. Somehow, against all odds, Edd had found his match. This shook him to the core; he thought this was inconceivable! He had  _ never  _ seen two people so close together that had red strings connected! This new discovery prompted Edd’s curiosity to grow. Maybe, just maybe, there would be information on these torturous threads. So, one day, he looked it up. It was probably the most research he had ever done, and it wasn’t even for school. Apparently, he had two different kinds of strings: the Red String of Fate, and the Yellow String of Friendship. The friendship one was pretty straightforward; it simply represented deeply connected friends. This made sense, considering how close he was to Matt and Tom. However, the red string got his attention. Apparently, it showed you who your soulmate would be. Your true love, to rephrase. 

Edd spent the next few days reeling over it. Like every other problem he had, he couldn’t tell anyone about it. They’d think he was crazy for sure. And why wouldn’t they? This was bullshit! There was no way that Edd’s soulmate could be a  _ boy _ . He wasn’t gay! The dumb strings probably just made a mistake! That can happen, right? Everything makes mistakes, and this was no different. He absolutely refused to believe that he would ever date a boy. 

The denial stayed with him, even as he got closer to Tord. Even as they spent more time together, Edd still vehemently denied that the string was right. He wasn’t gay, and especially not for Tord. When they all graduated highschool, and Edd and Tord moved into an apartment together, the denial was still there. Even when they bonded even more and Edd was getting more fond of Tord, he still refused to accept fate. If fate had a face, he would spit directly in it and call it a lying bitch. 

However, he did eventually come to term with one thing. As the years went on, and the four all moved in together, Edd had finally accepted the fact that he was gay. It took, in Matt’s words, “way too fucking long”, but he finally did do it. In a way, it felt like a weight was lifted off of his chest. That denial was finally gone. Although,  _ all  _ of the denial he had inside wasn’t even close to diminishing. Sure, he was gay, but there was no fucking way he was gay for  _ Tord _ . That would be absurd; absolutely ridiculous. The two were super close and all, but there were still quite a few times where they have almost killed each other over dumb shit. Thus, he still refused to give in to fate. However, he never actively distanced himself from Tord because of it. In fact, he just continued to grow more fond of the Norwegian, even with their constant quarrels. Edd swore that at some point, the damn string was gonna wrap around his neck and strangle him until he believed the fate to be true. Still, he wouldn’t give in without a fight. A fight that would probably last for eternity. 

Well, that is if an eternity was approximately nine years. 

At one point, he couldn’t fight the denial anymore. Just like his sexuality, he had to come to terms with yet another thing. On an otherwise uneventful and sleepless night, Edd finally accepted how he felt about Tord. He realized that honestly, the feelings had been there for a while. He couldn’t pinpoint when, but he knew that they weren’t new. It wasn’t a groundbreaking realization, either. It was more like he finally swallowed down his denial and acknowledged that he genuinely loved the Norwegian. It was relieving in some way, but then anxiety and dread settled down on him like a cumulonimbus cloud. He accepted his own feelings, yeah, but would  _ Tord  _ accept them? That was the most pertinent question that needed an answer. 

But of course, the only way he could get that answer was to talk to Tord himself. 


	2. A Confession to Break the Denial and Embrace Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red string was no longer one of denial.

Edd spent the sleepless night conjuring up scenarios in his head, trying to plan out how exactly he was going to tell Tord how he felt. It was much harder than he thought it would be(it turned out being truly honest to someone about his feelings was not his forte). His tired mind came up with the dumbest scenarios possible, such as straight up walking up to Tord and saying, “I’m in lesbians with you.” After that hypothetical situation entered his mind, he quickly realized that was not how people talked at all, and his imaginary self’s dialogue wasn’t even  _ right _ . But, then again, it wasn’t exactly wrong, either? Oh, whatever. It sucked either way. Edd tried to think of something different and a bit less cringe-inducing. God, maybe he should just talk to Matt. Even though he’s an idiot most of the time, he was pretty damn charismatic and knew how to talk to people better than he did(he was never the type to wear his heart on his sleeve like his friend). However, at the same time, Edd kind of wanted to do this on his own. He always went to Matt when he had problems with people; maybe this time, he should do it on his own. 

Edd only realized it was morning when he looked out of the window absentmindedly and saw that the clouds in the sky were orange, which was a beautiful contrast to the dark blue morning sky. If he wasn’t so caught up in his own thoughts and feelings, he would probably draw it. 

_ Wait a moment.  _

An idea hit Edd like a train. It hit him so hard, he shot out of bed and went over to his desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil without a second thought. He sucked at  _ talking  _ about his feelings, but maybe he would fare better  _ writing _ about them. He grabbed his sketchpad so he’d have something to write on and sat back on the bed. Reaching up to rub his eyes, he tried to think of what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. Edd looked at his hand, seeing the red string wrapped around his thumb delicately. He decided that it would be better to not mention the strings. It’d cause a storm of questions that Edd either wasn’t prepared to or couldn’t answer, and it made everything seem less...disingenuous, at least to him. He didn’t need the strings to tell him how he felt. In fact, in retrospect, they actually pushed him  _ away  _ from his feelings. He scoffed and looked away from the string, tapping his pencil on the paper. Eventually, he started to write, but then realized halfway through he didn’t like what he was writing. He erased it, and went to try again. After writing a few words, he realized he misspelled something. He erased again, a huff of irritation leaving him. 

This process continued for about twenty minutes. He’d write, erase, and start again. At some point, he even ripped the paper from erasing so much, so he had to get a new sheet. By that time, he was starting to doubt himself. Should he even do this? He was terrible with words, and even worse with feelings. Maybe Tord didn’t even like him  _ back _ . Maybe the damn string was lying to him, after all. But, maybe he was just overcomplicating things. Ugh, why did he have to feel things? 

Deciding that it was now or never, Edd started to write again. He was sick of keeping these feelings in. He’s pushed them away and denied them long enough. If he didn’t tell Tord, he would probably go insane. After a few more attempts(along with some erasing, ripping and replacing the sheet of paper), Edd finally came up with what he thought was a decent letter. It wasn’t anything long and sappy, it was simply short and blunt, which is what Edd preferred. He checked his phone, seeing that it around eight in the morning. If he had to guess, at least two other people were awake. Matt usually woke up early, and Tord didn’t sleep(much to Edd’s dismay). That wasn’t a problem, though. They usually kept to themselves in the morning, only coming out to eat breakfast(which, to his dismay, Tord  _ also  _ didn’t do). As long as Tord wasn’t paying attention, Edd could slip the note under his door without any issue. Edd stood up, stretching his arms up. He felt his back crack, which made him groan a bit. It felt nice to stretch after being in bed for so long. Though, that cumulonimbus cloud of anxiety and dread was still inside of him. He really, really hoped nothing would go wrong. 

With the piece of paper folded up and clenched tightly in his hand, he exited his room. No lights were on, which made Edd sigh in relief. He didn’t feel like interacting with anyone yet. Though, that meant that Tord was probably in his room, which made his anxiety spike up a bit. He stood by his own door idly for a few moments before tentatively moving toward Tord’s room. He made sure to be as quiet as possible, so he didn’t wake anyone up or made them aware that he existed. When he reached Tord’s door, he stood there for a few moments, his anxiety causing him to freeze up. His mind was screaming at him to just  _ do it _ . So, in one swift movement, he leaned down, slipped the paper under the door, and speed walked away. He went back to his room and grabbed his half drank can of cola, quickly chugging the rest down. Flopping back on his bed, he tried to fight the nauseating anxiety he felt. Looking at his hand, his eyes focused on the red string. He wondered if fate would be kind to him. 

When Edd slipped the note under the door, Tord was indeed in his room. He was laying on his bed and watching some anime on his phone when he caught something slipping under his door out of the corner of his eye. He paused the episode and took his headphones off, getting off of his bed and walking over to his door. Looking down, he realized was slid under his door was a piece of paper, folded up into a small square. His lips pursed as he bent down to pick it up. Before unfolding it, though, he opened his door and peered out. But alas, he saw no one. With a shrug, he closed the door and sat on his bed. He unfolded the paper to find a bit of writing on it. As he read the paper, his eyes widened a bit. 

_ “Hey Tord. I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but I’ve just never really gotten around to it. So, to put it bluntly, I love you. A lot. And...I don’t mean in a platonic way. I mean it in a romantic way.” _

_ “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, though. I just wanted to tell you.” _

_ “-Edd” _

It was short, but it still shocked Tord beyond all belief. Never in a million years would he believe that Edd loved  _ him _ . It seemed unreal. Sure, he knew that Edd was gay, but he never thought that Edd would be gay for  _ him _ . He didn’t exactly consider himself boyfriend material, and he was sure that Edd would find someone better, which is why he never bothered to tell him how  _ he  _ felt. He stuck to the classic strategy of shoving away those feelings deep inside of himself. But, as he read the letter, he felt those feelings come back full swing. He felt his face heat up as he read it over and over again, making sure he was reading everything correctly. Edd loved him. Edd loved  _ him _ . It was so surreal to think that someone could ever love him romantically, he almost thought it was a joke. However, Edd wasn’t the type to make those kinds of jokes. Or, maybe he was? Tord shook his head. There was no point in doubting himself. He wasn’t going to throw away his shot, now was he? Grabbing his own paper and pen, he wrote his reply to keep the same motif that Edd did. He kept it as short and sweet as the other’s, since it was a little embarrassing to even think about writing an entire essay on why he loved Edd. That would also probably be too forward of him. 

After writing for a few moments and reading over what he wrote, he folded the paper up delicately and exited his room. As he walked over to Edd’s room, he caught sight of Matt walking to the kitchen, presumably to make breakfast or something. He disregarded that and walked up to Edd’s door. Coincidentally, that’s when the adrenaline wore off and he froze up. His fingers pressed together, keeping the paper tightly between him. Admittedly, he was hesitant. That paranoia of it all being a stupid joke lingered in his mind. At the same time, though, was he really willing to give up a potential chance at an actual relationship with someone he loved and cared about deeply? It was an obvious conclusion that, to him, took a century to come to. He knelt down and quickly slipped the paper under Edd’s door, dashing away back to his room. 

Edd heard the something slide under his door, which tied his stomach in even tighter knots than before. He almost wanted to vomit out of anxiety. As he reluctantly got out of bed, he kept his eyes on the red string until he got to his door. He looked down to see a piece of paper, just as he expected. With a gulp, he knelt down and picked the paper up. He wasted no time in unfolding it and reading it. In pretty messy handwriting that he could recognize as Tord’s, the note read: 

_ “Hey Edward. I thought you’d never say this, honestly. Though, I’m happy to say that I love you too. And I mean that romantically.” _

_ “-Tord” _

Edd let out a biggest sigh he had probably ever produced. He smiled a bit, reading over the note again and again. He laughed to himself out of pure instinct, hugging the paper close to himself. The string wasn’t a liar. It looked like fate had been kind to him. God, he couldn’t wait to actually talk to Tord. For now, though, he just wanted to lay on his bed and come down from his high. Years of denial had finally come to an end, and Edd was so fucking relieved. 

**Author's Note:**

> Show this story some love and I just may make a second chapter. ;)


End file.
